Nicholas Lieou’s Capsule Collection for Sotheby’s Diamonds
Nicholas Lieou, one of the few truly Avante-garde jewellery designers today, creates jewellery pieces that are edgy, cool and very stylish. His Capsule Collection for Sotheby’s Diamonds, a jewellery boutique specializing in only the finest diamonds in the world, is a jewelled expression of the balance of Yin-Yang energies. Right off the bat, the contrasts in this collection astonish and surprise. Inspired by nature, each piece in this collection is a highly engineered marvel of jewellery design and workmanship. Also, while the overall look of the collection is highly minimalist, in the details of the crafting of each jewel, there is sublime complexity and opulent maximalism of the best kind. In short, Yin-Yang energies working as complements to make this collection the masterpiece it is.
Nicholas Lieou’s portrait
The collection is made up of ten pieces of unparalleled beauty and superb craftsmanship. There is modernity in design which finds its roots in Lieou’s innate rapport with nature. Here are the pieces that really spoke to me.
The Reishi Edge Earrings, inspired by the reishi mushrooms, are very dramatic in their colour palette and design. Detachable fan-shaped ebony and platinum discs partially surround diamond solitaires, creating a spectacular frame for the more than 3 carats each of solitaire brilliance. Tiny diamonds, pavé set on the edge of the discs provide an exceptional point of glimmer and interest. These earrings are extremely versatile. Since the ebony discs can be removed, the earrings can be worn as solitaires and for the more fun-loving, asymmetrically with the solitaire on one ear and the entire earring on the other!
REISHI EDGE EARRINGS A dramatic fan of ebony eclipses a pair of round
brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 3.15 carats and 3.01carats. Set in platinum.
The Cocoon Rosé Ring is, in one word, magnificent. Inspired by the fruit of the Lipstick Tree, with its spiky exterior protecting the precious seeds within, the Cocoon Rosé ring features a stunning 4.50 carat, internally flawless rose-cut diamond, set above a bed of pavé diamonds. It is the reflection of these diamonds that can be seen in the facets of the rose-cut diamond, giving it a unique briolette look. A halo of reverse-set diamonds completes the ring, giving it an indescribably beautiful flash and sparkle.
COCOON ROSÉ RING An alluring 4.50-carat D colour, Internally Flawless rose-cut diamond flickers from a cocoon of reverse-set pavé diamonds. Set in platinum.
The Willow Earrings are another piece which stands out. Strands of pavé-set diamonds cascade down from pear-shaped diamonds, creating a look of fluidity and very smooth movement. The strands of diamonds have been weighted, to ensure that they always hang vertically down. Inspired by the branches of a willow tree, these earrings are delicate and extremely elegant.
WILLOW EARRINGS A cascade of pavé-set diamonds elegantly spills from a pair of D
colour, Internally Flawless pear-shaped diamonds weighing 5.24 carats and 5.28 carats. Set in platinum.
The Pod Ring has to be the showstopper of this collection! A highly engineered ring, it centres on a sublime, 4.4 carats, fancy deep blue-green cushion- cut diamond. However, it is the setting of this diamond which makes this ring like no other. Held suspended by four petals of platinum which are pavé-set with reverse diamonds, the diamond is tension-set in four directions! But the beauty of this ring does not stop here- the pavé-set reverse diamonds curve in the shape of a cocoon, but upward facing culets of the diamonds create a smooth curve, each having been set at a different height. I could go on and on about this ring, but suffice to say, this ring, all on its own, has taken jewellery art from today into the future!
POD RING A spectacular Fancy Deep Bluish-Green cushion-cut diamond weighing 4.40
carats glimmers from a cocoon of reverse-set pavé diamonds. Set in platinum.
The Pendulum Earrings have been inspired by the Maple tree seeds (or keys as they referred to here in Canada) and are unbelievably exquisite. A pair of brilliant-cut diamonds set in a hammock of pavé-set, single cut diamonds, these earrings scintillate and sparkle as they move, like a pendulum, from side to side. The thing which really spoke to me about these earrings was the use of single cut diamonds on the pendulum, their soft sparkle enhancing the flash of the larger diamond they held. It is the attention to such details which truly make Nicholas Lieou’s jewellery creations just so fabulous.
PENDULUM EARRINGS A pair of D colour, Flawless round brilliant-cut diamonds glimmer from a cascading hammock of pavé-set diamonds weighing 6.69 carats and 6.61 carats. Set in platinum.
Nicholas Lieou’s Capsule Collection for Sotheby’s Diamonds, his latest expression of fearless creativity and ephemeral design, is rooted in his inspiration from nature but reveals a fresh and very innovative conception of high jewellery pieces. His exceptional understanding of the beauty and resilience of diamonds, as gemstones and as materials to be used in crafting his jewellery pieces, is apparent in each piece of this collection. The one word that comes to mind to describe this collection is, simply, exceptional!
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